A savvy DIYer updated her kitchen with bold floral patterns for just £50

There are some kitchen ideas, you don't have to spend a lot on to get big results. This savvy DIYer spent just £50 transforming her kitchen and it couldn't look more different.

Rachael, from Manchester, who you can see over at @rachs_home_n_life on Instagram, was faced with a blank canvas on moving into her new build home, with magnolia and cream walls. In her kitchen, however, it was a different story…

Floral kitchen makeover

Despite the rest of the house being decorated in magnolia, the kitchen featured a bright lime-green wall – something that Rachael was keen to change. 'The lime-green wall which wasn't my taste at all, so at first I just painted the walls white,' she told My Local Toolbox. 

Once that was done, Rachael realised that it was going to take more than the wall colour to make her kitchen feel personal to her. 'I didn't like the cupboards having a birch-coloured surround, so my thought was to upcycle and paint them all. They were in great condition and I liked them – just not the colour.'

With just a small budget, Rachael carefully researched what she could achieve, getting creative to achieve a kitchen that was in keeping with the rest of her home.

Before

Colour is such a personal choice and, for Rachael, that lime wall just had to go. With the first step done, it was onto the cabinets, which she made sure to prep before painting. 'Prep is key,' she says. 'I cleaned them first with sugar soap and gave them a light sand.'

After

Bold florals and pastel colours now dominate the kitchen, giving it a warm, feminine feel – and the floral fridge and splashback idea are certainly statement pieces. 'I love sage green and pink,' says Rachael, 'and it now seems quite a theme in my house, which is a mix of modern cottage-core, colourful and boho style – just anything pretty really!'

Pastel accessories from Dunelm complement the scheme, with pink canisters and tea towels, along with faux blooms and plants.

 It's always a surprise what a difference paint can make to a room, whether it's painting the cabinetry as Rachael has done, or even smaller elements such as a radiator or alcove – and all it takes is the time to apply it. 

'My favourite part was the painting,' she says. 'I used Frenchic paint in Wise Old Sage and slowly started to paint the cupboards. It's such an easy paint to work with and requires little prep and no primer and it dries really fast. It did take me a while to do but I'm really pleased with how it's turned out.'

Once all the painting was complete, it was time to add the finishing touches. 'I added self-adhesive floral wallpaper from Wallpops to the splashback and fridge-freezer,' says Rachael, 'as who wants a boring white or grey fridge-freezer? That definitely added more cottage-core vibes and makes the room "pop". To finish it off, I painted a pink scallop detail all the way around the edges of the worktops.'

We think Rachael's done an amazing job – are you tempted to transform your fridge--freezer with some self-adhesive wallpaper?